zabbix_template: fails without template_groups, cryptic error

[richlv]

SUMMARY

The zabbix_template module lists template_groups as being optional, but when leaving them off import fails.
Additionally, an invalid request is sent to the API, and the resulting error is very cryptic.

ISSUE TYPE

• Bug Report

COMPONENT NAME

zabbix_template

ANSIBLE VERSION

ansible 2.6.8
  config file = /opt/ansible/config/ansible-config-cdevops0.cert.motive.com.cfg
  configured module search path = [u'/home/username/.ansible/plugins/modules', u'/usr/share/ansible/plugins/modules']
  ansible python module location = /usr/lib/python2.6/site-packages/ansible
  executable location = /usr/bin/ansible
  python version = 2.6.6 (r266:84292, Aug  9 2016, 06:11:56) [GCC 4.4.7 20120313 (Red Hat 4.4.7-17)]

Also tested with zabbix_template from devel.

CONFIGURATION

DEFAULT_FORKS(/opt/ansible/config/ansible-config-hostname.cfg) = 100

OS / ENVIRONMENT

Tested against Zabbix 4.0.3.

STEPS TO REPRODUCE

Attempt to import any template without specifying template_groups; the actual template contents do not matter.

Actually the file contents do not mater at all - a garbage file would be simply ignored.

- name: Import Zabbix templates
  zabbix_template:
    server_url: "http://localhost/zabbix/"
    login_user: zbx_api_cli
    login_password: "{{zbx_api_cli_password}}"
    template_name: "Some template"
    template_json: "{{ lookup('file', 'files/zabbix-templates/zbx_template-Some_template.json') }}"
    state: present

EXPECTED RESULTS

Template is imported.

ACTUAL RESULTS

Several problems:

• Import fails (see the error below).
• Actual file contents are ignored and a mostly empty request is sent to the Zabbix API (see the API response below).

failed: [target.host] (item=HS Template App App) => {"changed": false, "item": "HS Template App App", "module_stderr": "Shared connection to howl.incert.motive.com closed.
", "module_stdout": "Traceback (most recent call last):
  File \"/tmp/ansible_LjKS35/ansible_module_zabbix_template.py\", line 555, in <module>
    main()
  File \"/tmp/ansible_LjKS35/ansible_module_zabbix_template.py\", line 540, in main
    child_template_ids, macros)
  File \"/tmp/ansible_LjKS35/ansible_module_zabbix_template.py\", line 270, in add_template
    'macros': macros})
  File \"/usr/lib/python2.7/site-packages/zabbix_api.py\", line 329, in method
    return self.universal(\"%s.%s\" % (self.data[\"prefix\"], name), opts[0])
  File \"/usr/lib/python2.7/site-packages/zabbix_api.py\", line 79, in wrapper
    return self.do_request(self.json_obj(method, opts))['result']
  File \"/usr/lib/python2.7/site-packages/zabbix_api.py\", line 336, in do_request
    return self.parent.do_request(req)
  File \"/usr/lib/python2.7/site-packages/zabbix_api.py\", line 287, in do_request
    raise ZabbixAPIException(msg, jobj['error']['code'])
zabbix_api.ZabbixAPIException: (u'Error -32602: Invalid params., Template \"HS Template App App\" cannot be without host group. while sending {\"params\": {\"templates\": null, \"macros\": null, \"host\": \"HS Template App App\", \"groups\": null}, \"jsonrpc\": \"2.0\", \"method\": \"template.create\", \"auth\": \"e3034a2d681979b79499b067c18b30a0\", \"id\": 2}', -32602)
", "msg": "MODULE FAILURE", "rc": 1}

[ansibot]

Files identified in the description:

• lib/ansible/modules/monitoring/zabbix/zabbix_template.py

If these files are inaccurate, please update the component name section of the description or use the !component bot command.

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[ansibot]

cc @D3DeFi @eikef @logan2211 @sookido
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[D3DeFi]

Thank you for pointing this bug out. I did some quick testing and found a problem within add_template() method.

If you look at the method's logic you will see that it first creates 'empty' template via template.create API call and then tries to overwrite it via configuration.import.

I am a bit worried that there may have been some reason for this particular approach and changing it may break something, but we won't find that out without original module author anyways :/. My guess is that there was some bug in older zabbix server versions.

I will try to find some spare time to reimplement this logic. I believe that changing this would allow us to implement #50833 as well.

[richlv]

Thank you for looking into this. Hard to say what could have been the reasons, and this also explains other behaviour I was seeing - an empty host created when the actual import failed. That would also go away with this issue resolved.